Pre-cut infeed system
Embodiments provide a pre-cut infeed system for a machine center, such as an edger. A pre-cut infeed system may include an infeed, one or more saws arranged along the infeed, and a scanner optimizer system. The scanner optimizer system may scan a workpiece and determine whether greater value can be obtained from the workpiece by cutting the workpiece transversely into two or more pieces upstream of the machine center. If so, the workpiece may be cut transversely by the saw(s) positioned along the infeed, and the cut pieces may be fed sequentially into the machine center.
1. A method for processing a workpiece, the method comprising:
transporting the workpiece in a first direction on a first conveyor with the workpiece oriented substantially transverse to the first direction;
using a first one or more saws disposed along the first conveyor to cut the workpiece transversely along a first predicted cut line into at least a first piece and a second piece while transporting the workpiece in the first direction;
using a plurality of positioners to move the pieces onto a plurality of workpiece lifts at an output end of the first conveyor; and
using the workpiece lifts to place the first and second pieces asynchronously onto a second conveyor that is operable to convey the pieces in a second direction toward an edger.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising cutting the first and second pieces longitudinally with the edger.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
using a scanner disposed upstream of the one or more saws to collect information about one or more characteristics of the workpiece; and
determining a cut pattern for the workpiece based at least on the collected information, wherein the cut pattern defines the first predicted cut line.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the cut pattern is a first cut pattern, and wherein determining the cut pattern includes
determining a second cut pattern that does not define a transverse cut to be made to the workpiece by the first one or more saws,
comparing a value of the first cut pattern to a value of the second cut pattern, and
based at least on the comparison, selecting the first cut pattern for implementation.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the values of the respective cut patterns are determined based at least on predicted wood volume recovery.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the values of the respective cut patterns are determined based on predicted economic values of corresponding cut products.
7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the values of the respective cut patterns are determined based at least in part on predicted wood recovery volume from the workpiece, log/cant cost, collective value of cut products to be recovered from the workpiece, one or more mechanical constraints of the first one or more saws, one or more mechanical constraints of the edger, or effect on throughput volume through the machine center.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the one or more mechanical constraints of the one or more saws includes a distance from one of said saws to the first predicted cut line, a length of time required to reposition one of said saws to cut the workpiece along the first predicted cut line, or a cut pattern of a preceding or successive workpiece.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the one or more mechanical constraints of the edger includes a length of time required to reposition a cutting element of the edger or a length of time required to reposition a positioning element of the edger.
10. The method of claim 4 , wherein the one or more characteristics includes one or more geometric characteristics, grain angles, defect locations, or defect types.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the defect types include bow, crook, twist, skip, wane, knots, pith, stain, decay, bark pockets, splits, shakes, or worm holes.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the workpiece lifts are actuable independently of one another, and using the workpiece lifts to place the first and second pieces asynchronously onto the second conveyor includes actuating a first one or more of the workpiece lifts to place the first piece onto the second conveyor before actuating a second one or more of the workpiece lifts to place the second piece onto the second conveyor.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of workpiece lifts includes a first group of workpiece lifts and a second group of workpiece lifts, the first group of workpiece lifts is actuable independently of the second group of workpiece lifts, and using the workpiece lifts to place the first and second pieces asynchronously onto the second conveyor includes actuating the first group of workpiece lifts to place the first piece onto the second conveyor before actuating the second group of workpiece lifts to place the second piece onto the second conveyor.